Fishing lines/leaders are often a desirable item for outdoorsmen to have on-hand during fishing activities. Conventional lines/leaders are known to be available in a variety of weights, types, and gauges and perform an important function when fishing for various species of fish. Leaders, in particular, provide the benefit of minimizing the likelihood that a fish with teeth will severe a fisherman's line. Leaders associated with a rig also make it easier for fishermen to switch baits and lures by avoiding the need to cut and retie their fishing line when a different tackle is desired.
While fishing leaders have generally resolved an inherent problem in the art of fishing, namely the ability for fish to bite through lines, storage of tackles such as lines/leaders tend to create their own difficulties for fishermen. Many outdoorsmen are familiar with the inconveniences that arise when lines/leaders become snagged, entangled, or knotted from unsecured storage in a tackle box or other location. Exerting the effort to disentangle the line/leader is a difficulty that not only reduces the fisherman's enjoyment of the outing but also hinders his or her ability to engage in the sport of fishing. Likewise, when fishing activities have concluded, it is particularly difficult for a fisherman to store all of his or her fishing rigs in one place without having the lines/leaders become snagged or entangled prior to the next outing, not only with each other but also with their connected hook assembly.
The burden created by entangled lines/leaders is a plight that extends beyond the individual fisherman. Even in commercially packaged settings, including those with lines/leaders sold as part of a rig, the line/leader often becomes entangled in its packaging or snagged on the hook assembly before the consumer even has an opportunity to remove it. Depending on the severity and frequency of the entangled lines/leaders, this packaging deficiency may cause the brand or company associated with the goods to suffer a reputational impact with the consumer, if not properly addressed and remedied.
Attempts to improve line/leader storage deficiencies include a cylindrical plastic and foam holder marketed by LINDY that is capable of storing up to 12 rigs. Despite the objectives of the device, the holder is particularly bulky and does not store easily in a conventional tackle box. As such, it often requires commercial sales of the product to occur in sets of three with its own separate box. Furthermore, when fishing line/leader is wrapped around the cylinder and attached thereto, the line/leader does not always have enough tension to keep itself stretched tight around the cylinder. Consequently, slack in the line/leader allows the rig(s) to become unsecured from the cylinder and often results in self-entanglement or entanglement with other proximately positioned tackles.
Another attempt to address line/leader entanglement issues includes a rectangular board marketed by CABELA'S. The board, which is sold commercially in sets of 9 and 15, holds two leaders and requires its own separate tackle box. Thus, the board and associated extra tackle box becomes one more piece of equipment the fisherman is required to carry along on a fishing expedition. Inside the extra tackle box, the boards are also arranged in such a way that the hook of a first rig tends to snag the line/leader of a second rig. This often results in the very problem the board is intended to prevent.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a fishing rig storage device which facilitates commercial and recreational storage of fishing rigs in a manner that minimizes snagging or entangling of the line/leader with itself and/or a connected hook assembly, so that the fishing rig can be removed from the storage device in an operational arrangement with minimal effort. It would also be desirable to develop a fishing rig storage device that cooperates with the fisherman's primary tackle box, while reducing size and transportation burdens resulting from additional equipment needs during fishing outings.